TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIAS. 
105 
It rose, fell, and clinked in the hard knots; and occasionally 
sinking into the wood a depth sufficient to hold without his 
aid, left him at liberty to chew his tobacco, and think of his 
condition. 
The neighboring lads came riding past. They jeered him 
for his want of spirit, once, again, a third time, and onward, 
until Tom began to think that his situation was not quite so 
agreeable as it would be, if he, also, with a pistareen in his 
pocket, were on his way to the gingerbread carts of the pa¬ 
rade ground. To be kept at work on General Training-day, 
was at war with all precedent; that was a holy day for 
young people throughout all the land of johnny-cakes. A 
little reflection, therefore, convinced him that his father’s re¬ 
quirement was somewhat unkind; a little more thought and 
considerable love of gingerbread, demonstrated that chopping 
wood on that day was not to be done by Long Tom Sassa¬ 
fras ; and depositing his axe in the corn-house, he went to 
the General Training, received a flogging from his father in 
the presence of an auctioneer of Yankee Notions, shipped on 
board a lumber sloop bound for Boston, and from that time 
became a Salt. 
Tom considered the land well nigh a nuisance. It had a 
few points of value. It was useful as a hiding-place from a 
storm ; useful as a hospital for “ a fresh” to cure the scurvy ; 
as a convenient substitute for a “ log” to show when the 
voyage is ended ; as a lumber yard for the wherewithal to 
build keels; and as a place in which small fish may rendez¬ 
vous. But the sea was a greater part of the Globe; the 
home of freemen ; where they have a plenty of sound air to 
breathe, and nothing but the will of Heaven to curtail their 
movements. “ On the land it is otherwise. One’s tarpaulin 
is knocked off at every second step on their brick-decked 
gangways; every lubber in straps and tights who sees fit to 
pass before you can up helm, runs into you, carries away your 
bowsprit, and d.ns your eyes because you could not luff into 
the walls of a building to give him lee-way. And then the 
